Nonprofit sends off a longtime member

For most of his life, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America has been a common thread for J. Mack Reid.

He has held numerous roles — member when he was 10, arts and crafts director when he was in college at the University of Alabama and president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Sarasota County.

“God first. My family second. And Boys and Girls Club third,” said Reid, listing his priorities.

Reid, 67, is retiring after a 43-year career with the organization and at a party Saturday, people gathered to share their stories of a mentor, friend and role model.

He has played an important part in the lives of two brothers, Kevin and Colin Stalker. The boys, their three brothers and one sister, lost their father when they were young. Their mother relapsed into drug use, the Stalkers said. And they were shuffled among foster homes.

“This was the one place I could go to be myself. It's where I learned how to be a kid,” Kevin Stalker, 19, said. “I never had a father-figure in my life. Mr. Reid has showed me the right steps to be successful.”

Reid joined a Boys Club in Alabama when his father was working night shift.

“It filled an important void in my life,” Reid said.

Stalker, who recently graduated from Booker High School, is going to major in business at University of South Florida. He works as a counselor for the local Boys and Girls Club, and was named Florida Youth of the Year.

“I was at the lowest position and worked my way up — the same as Mr. Reid,” Kevin Stalker said. “I want to be CEO of the Boys and Girls Club.”

Colin Stalker, Take Stock in Children scholarship recipient, entered a mentoring relationship with Reid four years ago.

After graduating from Sarasota High School, the 17-year-old plans to attend Sarasota County Technical Institute to become a firefighter.

“He's basically my grandfather,” Colin Stalker said of Reid. “But he's not the grandfather you don't want to hang out with.”

The two hang out often, watching football and spending time on the water.

“With Mack there, I never have to go through obstacles alone,” he said.

Reid understands the need for support when facing intimidating challenges. He worked at the Sarasota organization in the 1970s, and returned as president and CEO in 1989.

“At that time there was only one club. They couldn't make payroll, and the lights were being turned off,” Reid recalled. “But because of hard work and people willing to volunteer, we were able to get things turned in the right direction.”

In his tenure as head of the local organization, three more clubs opened in Sarasota County, and after-school programs started on six campuses.

Now, Reid plans to become a consultant for clubs across the country; he leaves today for Indianapolis.

“Now I can tell everyone the mistakes I made,” Reid said with a laugh. “I want to volunteer at the club and be involved as much as I can.”